This invention relates to improved manikins for teaching cardiopulmonary resuscitation including ventilation and external heart message.
Manikins are often used as an instructional aid in teaching students cardiopulmonary resuscitation techniques. Training manikins are also used as a practice aid to simulate conditions under which rescue personnel may be required to treat injured persons. As both teaching or demonstration aids and practice aids, manikins enable the realistic application of proper emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation (xe2x80x9cCPRxe2x80x9d) techniques including ventilation and external heart massage. Also manikins can be utilized for teaching and practicing other rescue techniques such as the Heimlich maneuver.
In order to provide effective CPR training through use of a manikin, many complex and interrelated functions and structures of the human body must be simulated so that the training is as realistic as possible. Also, the manikin needs to be safe and hygienic so that multiple persons can learn rescue techniques on a single manikin. The manikin should also be designed so that it can aid in the teaching of pulmonary ventilation or xe2x80x9cmouth-to-mouth resuscitationxe2x80x9d as well as external heart massage.
A moveable head/neck assembly is desirable for ventilation simulation, so that the manikin simulates the opening of the human airway that occurs by tilting back a person""s head. Also, realistic torso anatomy is necessary to teach and simulate proper positioning and placement of the hands to properly perform external heart massage, and the Heimlich maneuver. Furthermore, a chest simulation formed of a compressible material is desirable to simulate breathing during ventilation and allow the student to gauge whether the proper amount of pressure is being exerted to a predetermined depth within the CPR manikin during external heart massage.
In accordance with the present invention, an improved manikin is provided for the instruction and practice of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other rescue techniques. The manikin is provided in the form of a human torso simulation coupled with a human head simulation. The head simulation is connected to the torso simulation by a neck attachment which allows the head to tilt, mimicking the movement necessary to open a human airway. The invention also provides an inexpensive, portable manikin for use as an instructional aid with CPR training courses, or for home use by individuals desiring to continue their practice of these lifesaving skills. The manikin includes a selector apparatus so that training may be selectively conducted to simulate the different conditions and techniques required to be used either on an adult or a child. Furthermore, the present invention has an infant embodiment for teaching the unique requirements of infant rescue techniques.
The torso simulation is preferably formed from a compressible material, and provides audible and visual feedback during both ventilation or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and compression or external heart massage. The torso simulation defines an inner cavity and has a shoulder area with an opening therethrough. Disposed within the torso cavity is a lung simulation in the form of a disposable lung bag and an optional compression bellows for use in the adult manikin. The compression bellows includes a clicker apparatus or other such device to provide the trainee with audible feedback during training of CPR. The audible feedback is provided to indicate whether the trainee using CPR manikin is applying sufficient pressure to reach the predetermined depth within the CPR manikin to simulate external heart massage on a human. Compression to the predetermined depth results from compression of both the compressible material of the torso simulation as well as of the compression bellows, at least in the adult/child manikin. A selector apparatus is preferably provided in the bellows so that the trainee can select either adult or child external heart massage. Also, the chest area of the compressible torso simulation is preferably configured to rise when the lung bag is properly filled with air during ventilation, simulating human breathing, if proper ventilation is performed.
The torso simulation is connected to the head simulation by a neck attachment. The head simulation has a mouth opening and a neck opening which define the ends of an airway that is in communication with the lung bag located within the torso cavity. The neck attachment is designed to provide proper airway access from the head simulation to the lung bag of the torso simulation when the head simulation is tilted into a position which opens the airway. The neck attachment and head simulation tilt in a manner to simulate the movement of an actual human head and neck when a downward force is applied to a person""s forehead. In humans, this tilting is necessary in to ensure that the airway is open and unobstructed from the mouth to the lungs. In the simulation manikin of the present invention, tilting is also necessary to open the airway from the mouth through the neck and into the lung bag. If the head simulation is not tilted into its proper position, the airway connecting the head to the lung bag will not open, and the air required to inflate the lung bag cannot be blown into the lung bag, just as the lungs could not be filled in a human.
The present invention provides a new and improved CPR training manikin which is inexpensive, portable, easy to clean for use by multiple users and additionally provides feedback to ensure complete and realistic training. For a better understanding of the manikin of the present invention and its advantages, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Additionally, other features and advantages the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification.